Recyling of used motor oil is a growing but largely unrealized goal. Now that a very high percentage of motorists change their own oil, the problem of collection and return of the used oil to recyling centers has become more difficult. The lack of a clean, quick and efficient system to collect the oil in disposable bags which can be used both by service stations and individual motorists has hampered the attainment of the recyling of a high percentage of used oil. Any system to achieve a high rate of usage must be inexpensive and require no additional equipment which must be cleaned after use and stored. The system, in short, must be totally enclosed and each part must do multiple functions.
Knapp, U.S. Pat. No. 1,846,877, 1982 is a totally enclosed system but requires a long hose, a pump and a semi permanent storage container which is suitable for service stations, but totally inappropriate for individual motorists.
Lewis U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,527, 1965 is a more recent enclosed system, but again it requires a long hose, pump and a large storage container which is suitable only for service stations.
Bonfilio, U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,636, 1983 uses a cartridge system which permits changing of the oil while the vehicle is being operated. The system requires extensive modification of the lubricating system in the vehicle and would be too expensive to adopt except in very specialized situations.
Zaremba, U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,638, 1973 is a totally enclosed system but requires a long hose which would have to be cleaned and stored after each use. In order to open and close the valve, it is necessary to rotate the valve with a wrench which can result in stripped threads if the operator turns the valve the wrong way. Further, the internal valve by its nature would drain the oil very slowly.
Mantell, U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,478 uses a special valve and disposable bag. There are several plugs, spring clips and other parts which could become separated and misplaced resulting in wasted time in changing the oil.
Bernstein, U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,432, 1977 is a novel approach requiring a long hose which is permanently stored in the compartment of the car. It would appear to be a dirty job to fish out the long hose from the inside of the motor compartment in order to attach the end of the hose to the collection bag.
Berger, U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,237, 1981 is a closed system which requires a long hose which is collapsed in a novel way and stored in the container. It is turned inside out and obviously would have to be carefully cleaned before being stored.
Berger U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,561, 1983 is another form of the system illustrated in his earlier patent with a more permanent type of storage container.
Gable, U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,639, 1983 is a closed system utilizing a disposable bag. The system uses a complicated coupling system with a multi-faceted wall which requires a careful fitting and orientation of the coupler over the outside of the specially constructed multi-faceted drain valve and then turning to lock the system in place. The system uses a valve with a spherical surface which would have to be constructed to an exact tolerance to prevent leakage. Further, the system uses caps which could become misplaced and there does not appear to be any easy way of connecting them to prevent separation due to the design of the system.